Gates McFadden
Acting • Born 1949-03-02
Biography
Cheryl Gates McFadden (born March 2, 1949) is an American actress and choreographer. She is best known for portraying the character of Dr. Beverly Crusher in the television and film series Star Trek: The Next Generation. She attended Brandeis University earning B.A Cum Laude in Theater Arts. After graduating from Brandeis, she moved to Paris and studied theater with actor Jacques LeCoq. Before Star Trek: The Next Generation, she was mostly known as a choreographer, often working on Jim Henson productions including the films The Dark Crystal, for which she was a choreographer, Labyrinth, for which she served as Director of Choreography and Puppet Movement, and The Muppets Take Manhattan, in which she has a brief on-screen appearance. As a way of distinguishing her acting work from her choreography, she is usually credited as "Gates McFadden" as an actress and "Cheryl McFadden" as a choreographer. She appeared briefly in the Woody Allen film Stardust Memories, and in The Hunt for Red October as Jack Ryan's wife Cathy, though most of her scenes were cut in post-production. In 1987, McFadden was cast as Dr. Beverly Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation. The Crusher character was slated to be Captain Jean-Luc Picard's love interest, and this aspect of the character is what attracted McFadden to the role. Another important aspect of the character was being a widow balancing motherhood and a career. McFadden left after the first season, in part because series executive producer Gene Roddenberry was never enthusiastic about casting McFadden in the first place. Roddenberry also wanted to give the role of ship's doctor to actress Diana Muldaur, with whom he had worked on the original Star Trek series and other occasions. Muldaur's character, Dr. Katherine Pulaski, proved very unpopular with fans and left the show after the second season. McFadden was approached to return for the third season. At first she was hesitant, but after a phone call from co-star Patrick Stewart, McFadden was persuaded to reprise her role.
Filmography
54 credits
Star Trek: Generations
Movie • 1994
Dr. Beverly Crusher
Star Trek: First Contact
Movie • 1996
Commander Beverly Crusher
Star Trek: Insurrection
Movie • 1998
Doctor Beverly Crusher
Star Trek: Nemesis
Movie • 2002
Dr. Beverly Crusher
Dirty
Movie • 2005
Wife
Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event
Movie • 2023
Dr. Beverly Crusher
Star Trek: Federation Science
Movie • 1992
Journey's End - The Saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation
Movie • 1994
Self
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Behind the Scenes
Movie • 1993
Beverly Crusher
Chaos on the Bridge
Movie • 2014
Self
Taking Care of Business
Movie • 1990
Diane Connors
Mattresside
Movie • 2015
Nurse
50 Years of Star Trek
Movie • 2016
Self
Make the Yuletide Gay
Movie • 2009
Martha Stanford
Crowned and Dangerous
Movie • 1997
Patrice Baxter
The Hunt for Red October
Movie • 1990
Caroline Ryan
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special
Movie • 1991
Self
A Neighbor's Deception
Movie • 2017
Dr. Constance Abrams
Inside the Labyrinth
Movie • 1986
Self
The Muppets Take Manhattan
Movie • 1984
Mr. Price's Secretary
Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds
Movie • 2013
Dr. Beverly Crusher (archive footage)
Reunification - 25 Years After Star Trek: The Next Generation
Movie • 2012
Self
That Guy... Who Was In That Thing 3: Trek Stars
Movie • 2019
Self & Narrator
Hexengeddon: Witches vs. the World
Movie • 2020
Madame Hexxina
Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond
Movie • 1996
Self
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Chain of Command
Movie • 2014
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification
Movie • 2013
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption
Movie • 2013
Doctor Beverly Crusher
Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things...
Movie • 2014
Dr. Beverly Crusher
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Birthright
Movie • 1993
Dr. Beverly Crusher
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Descent
Movie • 1993
Dr. Beverly Crusher
Family Guy
TV • 1999
Gates McFadden (voice)
Star Trek: The Next Generation
TV • 1987
Beverly Crusher
The Division
TV • 2001
Mrs. Petersen
The Practice
TV • 1997
Judge Emily Harrison
Party of Five
TV • 1994
Greer Erikson
Marker
TV • 1995
Kimba
The Shuttlepod Show
TV • 2022
Self
Mad About You
TV • 1992
Allison Rourke
The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek
TV • 2021
Self / Narrator
Star Trek: Prodigy
TV • 2021
Dr. Beverly Crusher (voice)
The Wizard
TV • 1986
The Captains Close Up
TV • 2013
Self
X-Men '97
TV • 2024
Mother Askani (voice)
The Ready Room
TV • 2019
Self
Dream On
TV • 1990
Ina Dreikoff
Star Trek: Picard
TV • 2020
Dr. Beverly Crusher
Star Trek: Prodigy
TV • 2021
Beverly Crusher (voice)
The Cosby Show
TV • 1984
Masters of the Universe: Revolution
TV • 2024
Queen Marlena (voice)
Star Trek: very Short Treks
TV • 2023
Dr. Crusher (voice)
Franklin & Bash
TV • 2011
Judge Mallory Jacobs
NCIS
TV • 2003
Mrs. Belmont
Saturday Night Live
TV • 1975
Woman in audience kissed by Bill Murray (uncredited)